Chris Cooper shows his generous spirit

Actor Chris Cooper talks about his career and the film, "August:Osage County," at a fundraiser for Plimoth Cinema.

By Jody FeinbergThe Patriot Ledger

Academy Award-winning actor Chris Cooper needed little preparation for “August: Osage County,” where he played Charlie Aiken, the decent, straight-talking uncle who tried to steer his relatives from their worse impulses toward generosity.

“Sometimes, roles come along that fit like a glove and you don’t have to do any research,” said Cooper, 62, of Kingston. “This was one of them.”

At a fundraiser for the Plimoth Cinema last Saturday, Cooper showed his own generous spirit by securing the film screening, mingling with guests and participating in a question-and-answer session with WGBH’s Open Studio host Jared Bowen.

Cooper, and his wife Marianne Leone, are regular patrons of the theater, which held the sold-out event to raise money for a new digital projection system required by film distributors. The event also announced the Kickstarter campaign to raise $25,000 of the $48,000 cost.

“Our support is selfish,” said Cooper, self-deprecatingly. “The theater is 10 minutes from our house and it has the stuff we love.”

Sitting in a gray suit and black sweater before more than 220 guests, Cooper answered questions about his career and the film – which included the little-known fact that he’d make Italian sausage, onions and peppers when the cast gathered for dinner at Meryl Streep’s during the filming.

When Bowen introduced Cooper and mentioned some film highlights – “Matewan,” “American Beauty,” “The Company Men,” “Adaptation,” people applauded for a man who is something of a local hero.

“What you see in Uncle Charlie is pretty close to the real Chris Cooper,” Bowen said.

It’s unusual for an Oscar-winning actor to live on the South Shore, but Cooper – who won Best Supporting Actor in 2003 for “Adaptation” – has no interest in Hollywood. He likes New York, where he met actress Leone and studied acting after graduating from the University of Missouri School of Drama. But Cooper feels at home in Kingston, where the couple moved because of the educational opportunities for their late son, Jesse, who had severe cerebral palsy.

“I consider myself very lucky to be in the position I’m in,” Cooper said. “It’s a normal life, which is pretty essential for me and Marianne. I’m able to stay under the radar and be in the public. To my mind, being famous fills no purpose.”

Among his more than 50 films since 1987, “August: Osage County” is one of the most meaningful to him.

“This character turned out pretty much as I had hoped,” he said. “It is one of handful of films I’ve done that I can look at and be proud of and happy with the performance.”

In particular, Cooper mentioned the scene where he leans down to look in the eye of his son, Little Charlie, who has heightened his relatives’ disrespect for him by missing his grandfather’s funeral. Putting his hand on Little Charlie’s shoulder, Cooper said, “Hey, you haven’t let me down. You never let me down. And listen, you’re wrong about these people. They love you. They love you. Some of them haven’t gotten a chance to see what I see. Fine man. Very loving with a lot to offer.”

Cooper said he connected with that relationship, recalling his own feelings for his son, Jesse, who died suddenly at age 17 in 2005 and whose life Leone wrote about in her 2010 book “Knowing Jesse.”

“The scene with my son is really special,” Cooper said. “Enough time had passed so that I could work with these emotions that are still very alive. There was a period when people did not see Jesse as a whole person. He constantly had to prove himself and I could relate completely. The whole idea of unconditional love for a child was right at my fingertips.”

And Cooper said he felt familiar with the people and rural Oklahoma, where the film was shot about four hours from where he grew up in Missouri. As a teenager, he erected barbed wire fences and corrals on the cattle ranch owned by his father (who was a doctor). Like the Weston family in the film, Cooper said his father and older brother used to “butt heads” (though less fiercely), especially at the dinner table.

“I was the observer and I learned what not to do,” he said. “I appreciated peace.”

For all his success, Cooper is not overconfident.

“I want the script three months in advance if I can get it, and I will be working it every night,” he said. “I’m just that insecure. You are cast because the director thinks you will be prepared, and you will be open and ready to play the character any number of ways. I want to be ready to make an adjustment if the director wants it. I don’t want to have any regrets, that I didn’t put in 100 percent.”

Despite his dedication, Cooper has been dismayed a number of times with the finished film. In “American Beauty,” for example, 13 scenes of his character, Col. Frank Fitts, were cut, which changed the way the audience interpreted him, he said.

“It’s part of the business, but it can come as a real shock,” said Copper, who also has been in the successful films “The Bourne Identity,” “Seabiscuit” and “The Town.” “It took me a year to look at that film and say, ‘It’s OK.’ Sometimes, it hurts.”

Soft spoken and laid-back, Cooper leaned forward when asked about how he dealt with the possibility of failure during the early years.

“I was just determined,” he said passionately. “There was nothing that was going to stop me.”

Cooper will be on screen in theaters again in May as Norman Osborn in “The Amazing Spider-Man 2.” He now is reading scripts for his next role.

“There’s no reason for me to grab a role that I’m not going to want to play,” he said. “I respect what I do enough that I’m going to find a character that I can play joyfully.”

Jody Feinberg may be reached at jfeinberg@ledger.com or follow on Twitter @JodyF_Ledger.